I’ve had a fantastic 3 weeks, Tripod 8 times in 3 weeks (why? You ask. You tell me and we’ll both know, because I’m not really sure), seeing Justin Hamilton doing the coda to his 3 Colours Hammo Trilogy, meeting Tony Martin(making an arse of myself), and seeing Children Collide, I’d say its been the most amazing 3 weeks.
I’ve spent more time in Fitzroy than I have in a long time, I miss it as soon as I cross Alexandra Parade into Clifton Hill. I can’t explain my love for this little web of existence in the North of Melbourne.
I walked down Bell street the other week, after one of my many nights at Trades Hall, and ached at the thought that I wasn’t walking into one of those houses to go home. I hate leaving the place, I feel at peace while I’m there.
It’s one of the only places on this planet that I feel so calm in. Even when there’s people there I hate, and I don’t think deserve to live within its warm loving arms. Do they know why this place is so special? Do they understand that it’s not the “cool” factor of Fitzroy, it’s not being seen in the right places(I’m going to be crucified, I’ve tried to love Mario’s, but I can’t, I’d rather be in the Marqis of Lorne. Maybe someone can recommend something nice from Mario’s for me to try? I might change my mind.), it’s just home, the smells, the sights, the sounds… I’ve never felt more at home than I do there. There’s nothing I’d change about the place, even though it’s changed so very much over the years.

I can’t wait to move into my own place there. Hoping that by some kind of miraculous miracle that I find somewhere I can affrord without living below the poverty line! There’s nothing like walking the streets of Fitzroy as the sun is setting or rising. There’s nothing like a beautiful Fitzroy afternoon, wandering down Brunswick Street the warmth of the sun warming my tired winter bones. Great food, great friends, the sounds of good music coming from houses, the sounds of people having parties/BBQ’s/Dinner Parties, and just happiness in general.

My favourite Melbourne Pub(well maybe equal first along with, The Napier, The Rose, and The Corner), although my two favourite things have disappeared off their menu, Steak Sandwich and Chicken Parma???? WTF!? What happened?

Although I did have the most extremely amazing meal there on Sat, home made Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup, and Braised Lamb Shanks, OMG! So good, had the meat sweats after, too much meat!

Thinking of Parma’s, as I have been craving one for well over a week, I’m going back to The Corner soon to get my Fix. I think The Corner’s Parma’s are my favourite in Melbourne.

Fitzroy is home, its my happy place at the moment(well it has been for about 10 years). Unless of course when I go overseas I find another happy place(NYC anyone?). Fitzy is it.

Feel like I’ve grown up there, I skipped classes at Tafe to go sit in cafes and read when I was 18/19/20. I’ve fallen for 10 different Fitzroy boys in the last 10 years! That’s right, count ’em TEN!
I can name all of them too, egads! But I won’t.

I do wonder whatever happened to Brendan and Jack though, I’m sure I saw Jack about 5 years ago walking out from the milkbar and I ran.
I do however know that one of them is now in a rather large band I loved, and still do have my moments with. Andy Andy Eyecandy, best guns on the planet, and I blushed the day he lent over me and asked if there was anything interesting in Beat that day(he smelt sooo good!). I’m meant to forget idiotic moments like that right?
Or the night that my bar crush took me aside and told me he wanted to chain me up and spank me(oh please don’t let my mum read this!), he disgustingly enough had/has a girlfriend. I decided against going near the bar again, on the grounds that he was a sleeze! Sad though, as they make the best hot chocolate on the planet, and his specialty was strawberry daquari’s, and they were goood!

There’s the Punters, gone and lost. The amazing gigs I saw there, I shan’t forget(The Meanies, Klinger, and Mrs Pinkwhistle, BEST GIG EVER!!!!), and I’ll never forget the last night of drunken frivolity.
Nights at the Evelyn(or the evilyn, depending on what happens really!), Pop, punk, giggles, and great music. Unforunately I never got to go to the Ev’ before it was reno’d, so no old school “I remember when the stage was at the front of the room” stuff from me.
The Vegie Bar, which I like, but used to love, they have gotten better, there was a period of blah though. The food wasn’t as good.
Joe’s Garage, great food, and lovely staff. I’ve never had bad food, or not felt relaxed or at home there.
Red Tongue, food good, staff lovely, good for a Sat/Sun morn brunch.
The Hideout, I miss, with all my sweet lil heart. Well I miss when Mary was managing it.
Akari 77, great Japanese food! I loooovvveee it!
Red Rice was okay.
Nights at Bar Open, lordy lord. Sometimes it’s bizarre. Okay embarrassing admission, I licked a random boys tattoo there one night, not sure why, safe to say that copious amounts of beer had been consumed!
The Spanish Club ❤ . My first night at Spanish Club, was the night that Tripod won me over. Was Radiohead night too. I remember 3 distinct moments that night, 2nd Drawer Down going for faarrrrrrr too long, The Gatesy Brigade sitting in front of me getting confused by the Tron joke, and me laughing my arse off, and The Gatsey Brigade hunting Gatesy down at the end of the night. I had honestly never seen a group of girls swarm a man so fast in my life. Well apart from Chris from TLE, but even they seemed not as vulturish. I said I wasn’t going to be one of those gals, technically I wasn’t, but I did kind of, in my own special way! I should go and see them again, am waiting for the rock opera we’ve been promised!
The Rob Roy, ahh so many good gigs! I’ve seen some great gigs there. I walked through the other night on my way to Trades, its different, and there were lots of business attired people in there. Where the hell is the band room now? Sad to see they couldn’t fix that steep stoop into the gals toilets, I’ve nearly fallen down that thing a billion times!!

So here we are again April my good friend. Filled with a sense of hope, joy, frivolity, and newness that comes with becoming a year older.

Decided it was probably time to start talking about things that weren’t Psych related!

FOOD!

I had a friend say to me that she was surprised at how much I loved food. I think it is my small frame. I don’t really look like your every day food loving type. I don’t believe in quantity(that goes for small quantities as well, I like it JUST right! My guests are to be fed, fed well, and sometimes over-fed. lol), food is all about quality and presentation for me. I love a meal I can admire before eating, like a piece of art. I put effort into even the dullest of meals, except possibly two minute noodles, there isn’t much you can do with dry noodles and a flavour sachet.

I’m apparently what one would call a connoisseur. Although I’m not too sure.

I love a good steak and 3 veg, but I can’t do it all that often, as I crave different flavours. An amazing Korma or Butter Chicken. My roasts are never plain(this includes roasts of the verbal kind too!), I am slowly perfecting the art of Greek styled roast lamb, with a specialised marinade. If I do a steak, it’s seared with a special coating on the outside, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon Mustard, lemon, etc etc(a good magician never reveals all of her secrets). Chicken is used in anything from a fresh stirfry, to having a lazy night of either moroccan coating with vegies on the side, or if I’m uber lazy fajita’s!

Oh and speaking of sauces, Worcestershire sauce is amazing in sooo many dishes. My fav being in my specialised spag bol.

Also have a mighty addiction to a good Napoli sauce, and I think I finally perfected it while I was living in iHoe. Which is good, as it is easily transferable in many Italian dishes.

As you can tell, I spend days off(if not out) watching cooking shows. Mmmm food. My fav Aussie chef is Tobie Puttock, and I love Jamie O, but who doesn’t? I’m at odds with Nigella, she can make some really amazing dishes, but at times she makes some utterly bizarre things I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot bargepole.

If not that, reading fashion mags, actually I buy them for the pictures!

I love my sewing endevours, I’ve been finding more and more of late though, that I have been making design changes in many of the general patterns I have.

My taste in clothes is what many would call ‘vintage’, yet I haven’t bought a second hand piece of clothing in a long long time! So I suppose my taste in design and fabric is ‘vintage’, mostly anything that ranges from the 1950s – 1970s, with a little 1920s couture thrown in for good measure. I flair off with a little modern design for comfort, and to fit my body.

Pencil skirts and maxi dresses have been my thing for the last few months, I found some amazing fabric at Clegs, but as it is $79 a m, I think I may just have to wait until a) I have perfected my design, and b) made the redesign of the skirt I have been dreaming about for the past 2 years. As for the maxi-dresses, I made my first, and I still love it, but then I did a re-design so that I could wear it as a halter neck, and it looks pretty good, one of my favs to say the very least.

I do love an easy 50s rock-n- roll dress as well, my last endevour into that field was inspired by one of the last episodes of S&TC. Where Carrie is wearing the Red Spotted dress in Paris. My one isn’t half as cool, but I have recieved many a compliment when wearing it.

Comfort is most often paramount with my clothes. Although I’ll admit, I’ve made some pieces with the thought of catching attention. Sometimes I pull it off, sometimes not so much. More often than not though, I recieve compliments on what I’m wearing when I least expect it.

Psych pushes me to think outside of my square, it pushes me to think in general, and I can study so many different facets of the world that intriuge and scare me, and understand them through the eye’s of the mind.

If I’m afraid of something, I seek knowledge to understand it.

I hate reading newspapers or watching the news. I hate reading headlines, and even moreso I hate reading over-sensationalised peices of faff from people who have only studied the piece of information they are reporting on for about 48 hours. Not really down with over-sensationalised reporting in general.

I find places like Twitter and Facebook amusing and interesting. I like the fact that we can recieve real up-to-date, moment by moment, from the ground reporting with this technology.

I’ve met a lot of people over time that I never thought I would learn from, but have taught me some of the most amazing things.

I love to learn about culture, I dislike reading about it, but I love to listen to people speak about their culture, how they live in it, and why they live the way they do. I love to learn, and I find talking to and learning from others is the best way to do it. I love to sit and listening to people speak, one of the reasons I enjoy comedy I suppose. I love to watch people tell stories, to be able to make fun of ridiculous situations.

If I can’t get my head around something I ask questions. I question everything. I question peoples reasoning for doing certain things, and they don’t like it, but I’ll keep on questioning. My enquiring mind does not stop.

I’m used to being ignored, but I don’t deal with it very well.
My brain works at odds with itself at times, I really want your attention, but once I get it, sometimes I don’t know what to do with it. Those negative thoughts fill my mind, and I used to listen to them, as I thought they defined who I was. Now I shall sit with them, and let them be there, but also counter-act them with the sensible side of my brain.

A few articles that will pop up over the next few days…
-Psychological revelations about who I am at this particular point in time, what is changing in my world, and how I am dealing with the changes. An on-going body of work, making me feel all Freudian, maybe it’ll help someone else someday.
– Growing up and leaning about the world, what I thought was slow, but was actually earlier than I realised. Remembering my tweens(back then we were just kids, and we still are) and how that part of my life really shaped who I am today.
– Music, music, music, and more music.
– Laws of attraction, realising why I always like the “bad boys”, and why the nice guys always get lost in the crowd.
– Comedians, why I love them, why laughter is one of the best forms of medicine, who my comedic heroes are, and why.
– Why a well written piece of prose, can be amazing on paper, but when translated to a spoken submission, all the laughs get lost.